NO EXCUSES

After thirty years as a fitness trainer, I’ve learned a few things. You can’t help but pick up on shared thought patterns, that lead to behavior patterns, that either lead to success or failure. Three factors that I want to address, dispel, solve, and simplify in this article—time, motivation, and money. I’ve found that in life when things get hectic, difficult, muddled, and chaotic, you can often achieve clarity by simplification. If we know that health and fitness can only benefit us in all aspects of life, then why would we ever quit? And this right here, my friends, is where we utterly betray ourselves. So, please follow along, because I believe this can change your life; I believe by the end of this article, you can and will make a lifelong commitment to which you will never quit.

Time

First off, we must admit, there is no lack of time, rather there is a mismanagement of time. When we can admit this, and articulate this, we can then engage and solve the issue. “Oh my god, I have kids, and when I get home from work, I’m just so busy, and I just don’t have the time or energy to work out.” This is a general summation of 30 years of basically hearing the same thing, as if this is such a unique circumstance, one that no one has ever endured or encountered. Yes, I am being slightly facetious here, but my point is, what all of these people have just listed as an excuse is what I like to refer to as, life. Yes, it’s just life, and we ALL have jobs and commitments—if not kids, perhaps pets, two jobs, or a sick mom or dad. It is just life, and though these are legitimate factors, they are not an excuse to not take care of yourself. On the contrary, these things should serve as the reason to take better care, even the best care, of yourself. All of this can be solved with time management, and an actual written plan, as in something very concrete and thought out. It doesn’t take much time to make a serious change in your health and fitness, and it doesn’t require any money either. You can change your health with 15 minutes of basic strength training per day and a short walk a few times a week.

However, I’m going to hammer this point— you must schedule this time in and not take the approach of fitting it in when you can. Schedule it. Schedule it and have the mindset that this comes first; that you and your health come first. There is a saying I like that has become one of my mantras, “Discipline equals freedom.” At first glance, this seems counterintuitive, but it is true.

When you schedule what is important, and you implement it, your time and energy are more efficiently used, thus having more “free” time.

Motivation

Another very common thing I hear is something like this. “I just don’t have the motivation” or “I used to be so motivated, and I’ve just lost my motivation.” Neither of these reasons is true. Let me say it this way, neither of these reasons is accurate. A motive is a need or a desire that causes a person to act. Motive is not a feeling, it is a reasoning; it is a factual thing. The majority of the time when people refer to “motivation” they are referring to the emotional high, the dopamine hit that comes with the initial idea of change, and that comes with newness. This is why there are droves of people joining gyms after the first of the year, that good ol’ New Year's resolution crowd. Did all of these thousands of people suddenly have some sort of group amnesia and simply forget why they started? No. The emotional high wore off, and when left with execution, minus the high, they quit.

This is no different from the high of a new relationship. We have to acknowledge we have become addicted to dopamine, and we are always chasing that feeling, or we are waiting for that feeling before we take action. If this was the case in relationships, we would only act with kindness, thoughtfulness, and commitment in the beginning and then simply ignore each other. Sadly, it often happens just that way, which is why I use it as a comparison; it is something we can all relate to.

Here’s the good news. That feeling you are searching for, that dopamine hit you crave, it’s still there, only it’s not to be found where you think or want. The feeling you seek happens during the struggle, in the midst of the mundane, when you don’t feel like going, but you do. It happens when you want to give up five minutes into your workout, but you find a way to finish it.

When you have had a horrible, stressful day at work, and you start talking yourself out of the gym midway through your day, but you force yourself to just go—it is in these moments you will feel amazing, accomplished, and strong. When repeated over time, you begin to trust in this relationship between struggle, difficulty, and the amazing feeling of accomplishment. Every single rep, every single minute you push yourself, despite life stuff—all these little moments are moments that turn into tiny little wins.

Success breeds success, and if success breeds success, so too does quitting beget quitting, and failure begets failure. That is why it is paramount to just get to the damn gym, get that hike in, or get that yoga session in. It is not that this one session will transform you, but the pattern and momentum are what’s most important. Half the time, I go based on this principle and the knowledge that in the long run, these will all add up. It’s like putting money in the bank— every little deposit counts and adds up. All the little things add up to big things, so keep making those little deposits, and soon, you’ll have a good chunk of change.

Money

You can get in phenomenal shape with almost no money and no equipment. To this day, a large portion of my fitness routine involves bodyweight-only exercises and low-tech, low-cost equipment. For my online clients that train at home, I ask that they at least purchase a set of resistance bands, but even those aren’t necessary. When I was in the police academy, stationed at

Lackland Air Force Base, I got in amazing shape with no equipment at all. Every night, I did push-ups, dips off of chairs, and sit-ups. This taught me a lot about the effectiveness of bodyweight-only exercises, high reps, and consistency. I’m a firm believer in doing things better. Sounds “no-duh,” I know, but far too often, people get too focused on lifting more when they should be focused on lifting better. With Play it Again Sports, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace, you can find great, super-cheap deals on used fitness equipment.

There is a final factor I want to go over, one that supersedes all the factors we’ve addressed. What’s the alternative to not taking care of yourself? Think on that for a minute. Really think about it, and then hold it up against all other excuses. What’s the alternative and where does that road lead? Better questions lead to better answers. Doesn’t this serve as the ultimate way to simplify things? Listen, we get one shot here, this one life. We all know it goes by extremely fast, and it doesn’t slow down. I don’t know about all of you, but when I look at life this way, it gives me a sense of urgency and a sense of immediacy that keeps me going. This is not merely a fitness article or even a wellness article—it is a call to live more fully and to truly seize the day. You can replace stuff, but your body is the one you have for life. When I was younger, life seemed near infinite, and time was so vast. Now, life seems very finite, and time just keeps going by seemingly at an accelerated pace. I’ll leave you all with this—take care of yourself, and make time for yourself; you are worth it, and your life is worth it. Live better and more fully, move better, feel better, and ultimately think better.

One Life.

Micah Hankins is a fitness trainer, competitive stand-up paddleboarder, father, son, and motivational speaker. Reach him by email at micah@mhfitnesschico.com.